Anyone used abel & cole

gailey_2

Got book through post today and always thourght meat/veg boxes scheme procey but their prices seem competative and on a par with sainsburys.

what they like for service, quality and value for money?
They offered me good deal to entice me, hubby said we will look into it and maybe give it a go nothing to lose i guess.

we family of 4 2meat eating adults and preschooler who eats more than me. My daughter eats most fruit and has to take fruit into preschool.
2nd child 4month old soon to be intoduced to joys of weaning in march.
Last time round turned into pureeing maniac and everything had to be organic so not sure how much extra it cost us still remmember hubby whinging but i kept saying it must be cheaper and better than baby jars. probably money saving as easily distracted by clothes and non food items.

I done do online food shopping as have no confidence staff pick best dates or quality, how long its left lying round outside chiller/freezer(used to work in food retail)plus like to browse the ends for best deals actually maybe im a freak but like food shopping an rummaging round reduced section.

Im thinking anything that keeps us away from large supermarket

In summer we attempt to grow some veg but dopey hubby keeps growing stuff he dont like and binned deformed carrots!
potaoes was cheaper to buy than grow.

best to have slice of good life delivered.

middleclass fancy or serious savings/quality?

lutonmatt

Wife and I signed up for a deal they were doing - 4 orders of £15 plus, then they gave you £50 back. Generally, was very good - good quality stuff, prompt delivery, easy website, and when we had some veg (a squash) that was a bit soft, they refunded us the money, no questions asked.

Dunno what the value is like compared to supermarket stuff. Definitely better, but more expensive too, so kind of evens out, I would say. And getting stuff like celeriac and pak choi teaches you to appreciate new things....

Kirri

I used to use a couple of these online organic veg box suppliers, there was one that was better but I'm trying to remember the name... will have a think.. I had a problem with one I used at first, they delivered in bags, as some veg would be off before delivery - but if anything like that happens they do replace/refund etc.

I now grow veg and would say I find the flavour better than even the organic veg box schemes but I think the prices are good and it saved me carrying it from the shops too.

I used to get the biggest fruit and veg box, you have to be quite inventive cooking wise and prepared to eat anything - if you do go ahead, a good website is the vegbox one for recipes as you can search by vegetable item and the recipes I've tried have been excellent.

The_Mighty_Gusset

I found their quality a bit hit and miss - and while they were happy to refund/replace - surely the idea is that they shouldn't deliver sub-standard produce in the first place ?
It seemed to me that they were hoping to get rid of shoddy goods in the hope that people just won't bother complaining - which might be acceptable if you are paying 'Asda Price' but not when you are paying Top Whack.

lauraaurora

The_Mighty_Gusset wrote: »

I found their quality a bit hit and miss - and while they were happy to refund/replace - surely the idea is that they shouldn't deliver sub-standard produce in the first place ?
It seemed to me that they were hoping to get rid of shoddy goods in the hope that people just won't bother complaining - which might be acceptable if you are paying 'Asda Price' but not when you are paying Top Whack.

I guess I come under the 'didn't bother complaining' category. I didn't think about it, I just assumed that that was the quality of the vegetables; cos they were organic they didn't last as long...

We just stopped ordering from them after a couple of months. Too many expensive vegetables going into the composter...

ItchyFeet

Some of the fruit and veg items have been a little past their best on occassion but i too thought this was because they were organic and also because they take the longer route to the UK and not flown over the world. No problems with refunds on these items though.

I do think Abel and Cole are great for meat though - i find it difficult to get good quality organic meat that's not pumped full of water.

maginot

As people have mentioned, the food didn't last as long for me. I did give them a try when they had the £50 offer, but overall it was too expensive and we did throw a lot of veg away. In their defence the food was good and meat very tasty, but overall easier sticking to Waitrose for higer quality items.

freebiequennie

I use them on and off - use more so in winter months when we dont have our own home grown supply.

we buy small veg box, eggs, milk, cream, butter and meat - they have special offers on and we stock up on the meat when on offer.

they now do a free-range non-organic selection of meat as well as just organic so makes it more cost effective to use them.

their smokey streaked bacon is gorgeous!!

cazwasere

I use them now and again...great way to introduce unusual veggies into the family diet. Quality has been a little hit and miss, but very convenient if you have been away etc. They do some offers to entice you back, but do bombard you with mail/emails when you haven't ordered for a while. Fresh products such as bread have always been really tasty and similar priced to our local farmhouse bakery, but still more than Tescos.

quietheart

My friend uses them and rates them highly.
I used them once and found their expensive organic chicken to be a lot of skin and very little chicken. They emailed and asked my opinions as i didn't re-order. They responded with an email on the lines of - that's a shame, better luck next time. No replacement, no refund even hinted at. Definitely wouldn't use them again and find M&S meat to be much tastier and better value....

MrsE_2

maginot wrote: »

As people have mentioned, the food didn't last as long for me. I did give them a try when they had the £50 offer, but overall it was too expensive and we did throw a lot of veg away. In their defence the food was good and meat very tasty, but overall easier sticking to Waitrose for higer quality items.

I only buy Waitrose fruit/veg/salad.

I think its actually cheaper because it lasts so long, its so fresh.

I won't bother trying veg boxes if they are not as good as Waitrose.